Unfortunate Engagement
by SconesyBonesy
Summary: Three youngbloods arrive on Earth to hunt British soliders, but the hunt is stopped prematurely when a Xenomorph infestation is discovered. Caught up in the battle and desperate to survive, locals and soldiers alike must ally with the hunters.
1. Prologue

**Note: **I'm making a lot of this up. I'm making up names and culture and it may not be what a lot of people believe to be true. Please feel free to mention where there are typos, as I do not always catch them and would prefer to correct them once they are spotted.  
><strong>Disclaimer<strong>: Don't own the franchises or the Yautja language, all characters mentioned are my OC's.

**Words**  
>Nok ~ measurement, 13 inches. Nine noks = 9ft 9", five and a half noks = 5ft 11.5"<br>S'pke ~ fruit stew.

* * *

><p>Than-guan purred intently as she gazed upon the skull before her. The brownish bone shone as her mother tenderly ran a waxed cloth over the surface, wiping dust away and giving it a layer of protection. The skull was huge, even in the arms of her mother, who stood at around nine <em>noks.<em> Still several years away from adulthood, Than-guan stood only at five and a half _noks_, and her mother's towering figure was often a source of comfort.

She had recently begun a growth spurt that would see her spring up to match and exceed the height of males her age, and so the adolescent's mother seemed intent on interesting her growing daughter in the hunt.

Every female in Than-guan's clan was blooded. It meant that whilst their female numbers were smaller than most (due to how many died in the hunt), these women were stronger and resilient than the more numerous clans. Than-guan was expected to carry on the tradition along with her sisters and join a hunt to prove herself.

Staring up at her mother's collection of skulls, Than-guan half wished she had been born male. She would be smaller and weaker and less respected in society, but she would be able to devote her entire life to the hunt and not concern herself with raising children so much. Maternal hormones had yet to fully kick in and give her the urge to become a mother.

It was turning late in the day and the clan of females had been training intensely. There were a total of thirty seven females upon the clan mother ship (a small selection of the clan's entire population, the rest residing on one of the Yautja home worlds), twenty of breeding age, her mother being one of them.

Guan-thwei had four female children (there were three other much younger females born to others in the clan) – Than-guan and her sisters. They would all be turning of age in the next few decades and it was important to prepare them for life as adults. Their numbers would dip as ten of their females had turned too old to birth or hunt and would soon return to the home world.

The youngest and smallest of Guan-thwei's daughters was Th'nra. When the females moved through the ship, she was often accosted by males. Young unblooded males would do something to enrage a mother, and if they were able to evade her attack, they'd enjoy a day of being labelled 'brave' before receiving a beating from their father.

Th'nra was often pushed away from her sisters and surrounded, and her mother was always there to stop anything happening to her. Guan-thwei was also very fast, and always beat the living day lights out of one aggressor. When Than-guan had been a very young child, she had suffered the same annoyances, but her mother seemed to do less for her now. As the eldest female child on this ship, Than-guan had to learn to assert her own dominance among the men. If she couldn't intimidate males, she had no chance of defending herself against an enemy female clan.

Tonight, Than-guan walked next to her smallest sister as they travelled through the main decks of the ship. They were travelling from their quarters to an area in the ship restricted to women only, where they would feed and bathe together as a group. Only the youngest males that needed their mother's constant attention would be in the female's hall.

As they entered the hall (which was full of animal skins, giving it a soft, cave-like appearance despite its size), the strong smell of _s'pke_ hit Than-guan in the face. It was a warm, heavy smell and reminded her of her empty belly. Th'nra chirped next to her sister, ignoring the advancements of their mother and other sisters, instead waiting beside Than-guan. The eldest daughter had watched all of her sisters grow up, and noticed that Th'nra was smaller than the others had been at her age. Their mother must have noticed too, as she did not pay as much attention to her. Th'nra seemed to be the runt of the pack, but had one person who had not yet lost complete interest. Than-guan took her sister by the hand and led her down into the hall to eat.

At the centre of the hall was a small group of nursing mothers. They sat with infants in their laps, dangling small bits of knotted, colourful rope above the children, whose mandibles flexed erratically and they trilled with joy, tiny clawed hands moving up to touch and brush the strange colourful toys.

Like many of the females, Than-guan was dressed like a basic female hunter. It became normal for her to wear body mesh years before she was of age in order to get her used to the feel. She wore only soft cloth underwear which covered her most private parts, and a belt of hard leather that covered the side of her hips. Her breasts were hidden by the same leather-like material. Their small muscular structure meant they did not need much support. As was tradition, her tresses were dotted with only a few clips and beads, which would increase with her age.

She sat next to her elder sister Chel'ten, who was nursing a baby boy.

In some clans, a woman with a baby would head back to the home world to raise him, but in recent generations it had become easier for the women in Than-guan's clan to stay on the ship and raise the children with the hunt in mind. Only the female elders (who were of a far more political nature) and females who were not deemed strong enough to bear children would stay on the home world within their clan's territory. They often acted as nannies to other women's children, but otherwise performed tasks unrelated to childcare.

"He refuses to eat, but plays like he has all the energy in the world." The concerned mother said.

"Perhaps he is not ready for real food."

"He should be. I cannot feed him myself for much longer." She replied, referring to her breasts, which were not much larger than Than-guan's but had been swollen with milk just a few weeks ago.

"Then he will eat when he realises he needs it." The younger girl replied.

"Males are difficult to teach." Chel'ten sighed, balancing the child over her crossed legs in order to receive a bowl of stew. The Yautja were usually meat eaters, but _s'pke_ was an afforded luxury, sweet and filling, ultimately a treat.

She noticed across the room an adult male sat with his mother. She found this odd, as he was clearly of an age where he should be hunting and living with other males.

"Why is that male in here?"She asked her older sister, motioning with a mandible towards him.

"That is al'Nagara. He visits his eldest brother, the slender one. He holds a fondness for his sibling, but they usually hide away."

Than-guan could see now. The male and his mother were both attending to a fully grown male, taller than most of his gender and incredibly skinny, with very little muscle or fat. He was a male born with a severe muscular disorder, and was very weak.

Despite the best efforts of a female to choose the strongest mate, sometimes one just could not tell what child would be produced. The weak one was known as Hexa, and needed the constant care of his mother in daily tasks. He was kept on the ship due to his well developed mind. He was often in the higher decks of the ship helping to observe various life forms they'd captured. He also enjoyed designing weapons, but could not make them himself.

The young female sat and wondered what it was like to have to care for such a weak older sibling.

"Why has he come out into the middle of the hall? Surely he would not want to advertise wasting his time on such a useless male" she snorted.

"His mother wants the help, and he will do as his mother asks. Plus, he has attracted your attention, has he not?"

Than-guan snorted. "The intention can hardly be me."

"You will be ready to breed in a few years. He is planning to hunt _kainde amedha_ and become a young blood soon. It is never too early to court a female. His intention is likely to get your attention, place a reservation under your loincloth and lay with you after his big hunt."

The two females laughed. "You are the only female coming of age soon. We all experience the early interest. There is high competition among males."

"It would take more than doing as his mother tells him to impress me enough to produce his child." Than-guan sneered. "Does he have any pups of his own?"

"No, he is too young. None of the female here would mate with an unblooded."

"His brother is weak. Do they share fathers?"

"No."

"Interesting. You could of course be lying, completely. He may have no interest in me whatsoever."

"Child, when you come of age _every_ male will have interest in you. You must choose the father carefully. You may not even like him, but if he is strong and honourable, you should have his pup."

"We will see. Hand me the child." Than-guan motioned to her nephew and held the child in her arms. She tipped her head forward and allowed a few of her braided tresses to fall forward, dangling over the child's face. It trilled in laughter and pulled on one of the locks. Than-guan's yellow and brown skin seemed to flush and darken in enjoyment. She already felt a mild exitement for motherhood, but for now she looked forward to her first hunt more.


	2. Chapter 1

**Note:** As before, a lot of Yautja culture is made up. This is set in a British military camp so if you think in any chapters I've used incorrect terms feel free to correct me. Same with spelling/grammar/typos.

**Disclaimer: **All characters are my OC's, but I do not own the Alien or Predator franchises.

* * *

><p>The planned trajectory would land the three hunters on Earth just after nightfall. Tetj'de, a short male with unsightly long tresses, stood staring out into the expanse of space before them. They had some time yet before their ship would get close enough to Earth to launch them. Until that time, the three young bloods could only wait. They had looked over the maps prepared for them a hundred times. Their armour was clean, polished and attached to their bodies tightly. Their masks were sat on stands ready for use.<p>

"This is exciting." Al'Nagara growled as he walked up next to Tetj'de. The other male nodded in response.

"None of us have hunted _Pyode Amedha_ before" he said after a moment's pause.

"If this goes well we could be one step closer to being considered blooded."

"If?"

The voice came from behind them. It was Than-guan. Now fully grown at nine _noks_, she towered above the two men as she approached them. Like the others, her forehead now bore their clan mark. "There is no questioning, no doubting. This hunt will go well and we will go back with a plethora of Ooman trophies."

"I like your optimism"

Than-guan had her own reasons for wanting this hunt to go so well. It was her first hunt since she had given birth, well over three years ago. Her child was currently being cared for by Chel'ten. It would be a few more years before she had another child, and so Than-guan was eager to get as many hunts in as possible before childcare and pregnancy became her biggest concern once more.

Her relationship, like many within their clan, was strained and full of conflict. However, they had their moments of peace, and Than-guan was even considering that her second pup might also be sired by him.

By now, the male had around eight children to his name, all of which were strong and healthy, but too young to be judged as hunters yet. She would wait and see if he was a wise choice once again. If not, she had plenty of other males to choose from, although few that might actually fit her requirements. As she increased her skills and reputation, so did her standards. She expected the father of her children to be on the same level as her in the hunt.

The female rubbed a hand over her chest plate. It was fitted exactly to her body, starting at the collarbone, sleeveless and ending where her ribs finished. It was moulded around her breasts to protect them and finished off with shoulder pads. She had not worn for so many years that the feeling was foreign.

A quiet beep from a console behind them signalled that they had gotten to a certain point in their route and should start preparing for their drop off.

* * *

><p>"Gloria! I'm home, how're you feeling?" Andrew called up the stairs of his army quarter as he slung his coat over the stair banister. There was no response, and Andrew quickly hopped up the stairs towards their bedroom. It was dark and quiet, and as he poked his head in, he saw his wife propped up against the headboard in a sitting-position. The TV box was beside her but the television itself was off. Head dipped, she was fast asleep, hands resting on her large and obviously pregnant belly. Andrew smiled and slipped back out of the room, heading downstairs to unpack his bag and get dinner ready.<p>

About an hour later, he heard the slow, deliberate footsteps of Gloria as she eased herself downstairs. She walked into their small kitchen and Andrew turned to greet her.

"Hey, you have a nice rest?"

"I don't even remember falling asleep, it just happened." She replied, worried. "Seems like I'm getting worse."

"No, don't be silly. Sit down, I'll make you a cup of tea." Her husband insisted, still in his army combats as he rushed around the kitchen. Gloria sat down and Andrew noticed that her forehead was shiny with sweat, her face paler than usual.

She was definitely getting worse, and none of the doctors they had seen could say why. Most of the suggestions had included abortions, but there was no solid evidence that her pregnancy was causing this. Gloria had been sickly, even as a child.

"How was your day?" she asked as he handed her a mug of tea.

"Same old rubbish, me doing most of the work as usual."He smiled. Andrew worked hard and had little rest at home. He was secretly dreading the birth of their child. If Gloria was still sick she could hardly be expected to be up caring for the thing all night. And what if she died? He had no idea how to care for a kid on its own.

"We've had a plane crash out by the hangers though. One bloke hurt himself but nothing serious. About as interesting as things get out here."

The two smiled and nodded, and everything fell silent for some time, Andrew chopping vegetables for dinner. Gloria had eaten breakfast but been unable to get up to make herself lunch, so Andrew always made her a large, healthy dinner.

He was scrubbing potatoes in the sink when he noticed the small plume of smoke between clouds. It was dark outside but he could just about see. It was heading down towards Earth, and for a second he wondered if it was another plane crash.

Then it disappeared behind buildings, and a few seconds later, its apparent collision with Earth inaudible. The ground shook in aftershock but Gloria didn't seem to notice it.

"Think another plane has crashed. Best keep my work phone on in case they need me." He said automatically.

"You might have a crazy day tomorrow if they do need you."

"Yeah, I know." He sighed.

* * *

><p>Landing in a delivery pod was never comfortable. If one could hear the Yautja heartbeat, they would hear it speed up to a worrying pace near impact. Designed to be light and easily disposed of, the pod did not have any tracking device, only a simple alarm warning when it came within one mile of earth. The hunter's body was tensed long before that and the feeling that all of your inner organs are being pushed up through your throat starts the minute you eject from the ship.<p>

After a few minutes regaining their balance and sense, the three hunters exited their pods, now fully suited up and their masks working to filter the Earth environment. The three emitted quiet clicking purrs as they stood together, seeing their chosen hunting ground from afar.

It was not always usual for this many predators to hunt humans, but they were young and there were many armed Oomans here. It was still good sport.

"The hunt starts now, we use as little verbal communication as possible whilst hunting. Move as planned. Send a signal when you find an adequate place to camp in between expeditions." Al'Nagara said, camouflaging and nodding to the two and moving off in one direction, the others also moving as they split off.


	3. Chapter 2

**Note**: I know cliff-hangers aren't the best thing, but I didn't want this chapter to be any longer and wanted to include all three perspectives. Next chapter will be smoother. I have not forgotten about Yautja society either, and my interpretation will continue to appear throughout the story.

**Disclaimer:** All characters mentioned are my OC's. I do not own the Predator or Alien franchises.

* * *

><p>"Nothing good on TV?" Andrew popped his head into the living room. Gloria was sat on the main two-seater couch, a blanket over her frail legs. She was flicking through the TV channels absent-mindedly.<p>

"Never anything good on a Saturday. They assume the whole world is out enjoying themselves." She smiled. "Maybe we should watch a movie. They haven't called you yet about the plane crash?"

"Nah," Andrew shook his head, easing himself down onto the other couch "they won't want me until the morning. Pete is out on duty tonight, I think if he wants to ruin anyone's evening he'll ruin Snow's. He's been a tit around work recently, could do with a bit of midnight paperwork to set him straight."

"If Pete is out maybe you should phone him and make sure everything is alright. A plane crash at night sounds horrible."

Gloria always made it her work to worry about other people. Since becoming pregnant, her effort to mother people had become a lot stronger. She'd stress out over nobody's business and wanted to help everyone.

"It'll be fine, don't you worry." Andrew responded genuinely. The idiots flying and crashing those small planes never got more than sore bones. "There really isn't going to be anything good on tonight." He added, changing the subject. "I'll go get the DVD box."

* * *

><p>Al'Nagara had found his first kill. An Ooman standing at the entrance to the prey's compound, it was armed, healthy and a guard. It would make a fantastic first kill, and the death of a guard would send a message out to the rest of them. There was nothing fun about a hunt if every creature was unaware it was being hunted.<p>

He was about a quarter of a mile away to the right of the target, cloaked and watching intently, purring slightly as it looked from side-to-side. This one would die without knowing the hunter was there, but would serve as a warning to the rest.

Target acquired, al'Nagara prepared to fire his shoulder canon, but stopped. There were no other humans around. There was little risk of being outnumbered. It would be much better sport to kill the Ooman by hand. His shoulder canon cooled and retracted back, and the hunter moved silently towards his target.

His prey completely oblivious, al'Nagara was soon close. His clicking purr became audible, and the Ooman seemed to become panicked and alert, body heat rising quickly. The hunter launched a quick, blunt punch to the stomach of his prey. It let out a cry, slamming into a metal wall behind it.

_Pyode Amedha_ were often brave up until a certain moment, where panic naturally set in. They all have varying levels of coping; many lived with obvious and debilitating stresses.

This one was panicking quite early, likely because it had not, and could not see its attacker. It dragged its body along the metal wall, which formed a boxed-in room where the barriers to the compound were controlled. There was likely a form of communication in there. Al'Nagara did not want the Oomans finding out like that. He wanted to give a classic hunter's warning.

It cried out in its native tongue, babbling in terror as the hunter's heavy footsteps drew closer. Drawing his wrist blades, the Yautja finished his prey with one swift strike to the chest, splattering blood inside the small control room.

* * *

><p>The skull in Than-guan's netted bag looked pathetic on its own. It hung there, lonely, waiting to be joined by more. The huntress intended to add many more to her collection before the sun rose over this side of the planet.<p>

She could see in the distance what looked like her mate taking his own trophy. She could not see Tetj'de and she assumed he was busy looking for a place for them to rest in between hunts. The male was younger and more submissive, and so would prefer to do the lesser jobs before hunting, lest he receive a whack on the head from the dominant female.

Than-guan was now near the living quarters of the compound. There were few armed prey here, so little game, but she would prowl the area. This type of hunt was intended to take several Earth days, and she liked to get a feel for the area. She was camouflaged and invisible as she prowled between buildings, oomans completely oblivious to her presence in the dark outside.

From behind she heard movement. Turning her head slowly, the female spotted two unarmed oomans, male and female adolescents. The interaction between them indicated that they were courting, and Than-guan allowed herself a few moment to watch, stopping her inquisitive purr as they approached.

The male was skinny with very little muscle or fat on his body, yet the female held his arm, a sign of dependency. She depended on such a weak male when there were far stronger ones out there. The female herself was also slender, lacking the hips of a child bearer and sporting breasts formed mostly of fatty tissue. Neither were particularly unhealthy, but the difference between them and teens of her species was uncomfortably different.

The two teenagers passed by the hulking creature who watched them, unaware of her presence. Than-guan understood why so few humans survived hand-to-hand combat nowadays. Their young were weak, and many did not even make up for this with their minds. Even the Yautja culture had use for great minds and weak bodies.

Her mind darted back to Hexa, the sickly male that lived with her clan. He was smart in his own ways, having picked up the routines of child-raising, and seemed to have a particular skill in weapon crafting. He was an odd man, but accepted for his use. Only when a Yautja was completely useless to the clan were they left to wither away.

Silence fell upon the street once more and Than-guan let out a snort of derision at the two youngsters. Her purr returned as she glanced down a small alleyway. Between the houses she could see a path towards different buildings. The living quarters contained no worthy prey, and she decided to move on in this direction. But as she took a few steps forward, she heard a noise to her left, and a voice calling out.

"Who's there?"


	4. Chapter 3

**Note:** as usual please do point out any spelling errors/grammar errors/typos you see. Also I promise this will become an ALIEN vs. predator fanfic, they will appear soon.

**Disclaimer**: All characters mentioned are my OC's. I do not own the Predator or Alien franchises.

* * *

><p>Gloria didn't like having to walk down the steps of her house, but Andrew had finally fallen asleep and she did not want to wake him. He worked hard and got little rest, so she knew, whether he showed it or not, he'd be annoyed to have to wake up at midnight.<p>

Gloria on the other hand was eager to get up. She'd just realised the rubbish bins weren't out, and the trucks would be here in the morning to empty them. Now that she'd thought of it, she couldn't sleep for the worry. What if she forgot to wake up early enough to put them out? The only way to ease her mind was to do it now.

She'd pushed the main black bins on its wheels out to the footpath, and heard thudding noises. Even with the orange street lights it was often difficult to see clearly.

"Who's there?" she called out, and heard some sort of animal grunt. It sounded like a large dog, but she couldn't see anything.

More thuds sounded, and she could hear a puddle of water being disturbed round the back of the house. Uncomfortable, Gloria quickly turned the bin around so it could easily be grabbed by the bin men and tip toed back inside.

Hopping upstairs, she slid into the bedroom as gracefully as one could when eight months pregnant. She decided not to tell Andrew about the dog outside, but would stay up for a while and listen out.

It took an hour or so for Gloria to doze off in bed, the warmth and comfort overtaking her stressing. She awoke two hours later, sure that she'd heard a scream, but after twenty minutes of uncomfortable silence, she clung to her husband's sleeping body and returned to sleep.

* * *

><p>It had taken many hours, but Tetj'de had finally earned his first trophy of the hunt. All three Yautja knew where their camping spot was – an area in a nearby thick forest where they'd be hidden well.<p>

The _Pyode Amedha_ had been unfortunately noisy during the hunt. It had seen the warning that al'Nagara had left – a headless, skinned corpse strung up above the entrance to the compound. Already in a panic, the creature had actually run into Tetj'de, and he'd made short work of the human. It had attempt to fire its weapon at him but stumbled and dropped the primitive hunk of metal.

Quickly skinning the corpse, he slung it over his shoulder and climbed up a slender metal pole which held an orange light at the top. Tying rope tightly to this lit fixture, he hung the corpse, before sliding down, camouflaging and moving off to find more prey. It would be many hours before the sun rose.

The body swung for a few minutes, dripping blood onto the footpath below. It was just half an hour later when the corpse was discovered, and all three hunters could hear and intercept the panicked phone calls within the compound alerting others of the horrific killings. With any luck, more armed and experienced prey would surface and provide more of a challenge.

* * *

><p>Gloria stared up at the roof, where her small clock projected the time. Just past 3am, and Andrew had left. He said it was because of the plane crash – turns out Snow ruined the paperwork and Andrew was the only one in the department allowed to take actions to fix it. Andrew did not enjoy his desk job, especially considering he always seemed to be on call for <em>someone<em>.

Outside, she could hear quite a few cars starting up and leaving. Was the plane crash really that bad? She peered out of their bedroom window, expecting to see the sky being licked by fire, but there was nothing.

In the car, Andrew chewed his lips in frustration. Apparently, Pete had found a body – the third so far. Andrew was being called in because he was a friend of Pete, and was not expected to actually take part in an investigation – that was a job for police.

Arriving at the sergeant's mess where Pete resided, Andrew was shown up to his friend's room.

Pete was sat on his bed, dishevelled and visibly shaken. Andrew didn't really know what to say, but they were good friends and something felt wrong about not being there for him. He wasn't sure if Pete was overreacting to the find at first, but on his way up the stairs of the mess, he'd been told the body was severely disfigured.

Pete seemed to be holding in vomit as he looked his friend up and down.

"He was hung up by his feet." He began, perhaps feeling he should justify his horror. "There was no skin…or head, it was just up there bleeding." He continued, entering a stream of consciousness. He was becoming hysterical. "I just walked up when I saw it interrupting the light and, and it was just up there _dripping_," his face screwed up, "_it dripped all over my face when I got too close."_

Pete began to shake now, looking as if he might cry. Andrew sighed and sat on the bed next to his friend.

"There are fucked up people out there, mate. But if it'll make you feel better, they're gonna find who did this."

Andrew's mobile phone suddenly started ringing. It was the house. Picking up, Gloria's frantic voice filled Pete's small room. She shouted his name through sobs.

"Andrew! Andrew I saw something outside earlier but I didn't tell you, but it was like an animal and now Sarah next door told me there have been bodiesfound! Did an animal do this? I saw it and could have said something!"

Frustration washed over Andrew. She was sick and pregnant, and absolutely looked for reasons to stress. She felt guilty for everything.

"No babe, a man did this. You probably just saw a dog. Dogs in this area aren't big enough to hurt anyone. Go back to bed, you're gonna be knackered." He soothed. Gloria did as she was told, hanging up and hopefully getting some rest, leaving her husband to sit and chat with the shocked Peter.

"These bodies was all fresh Andy. In a few hours. Every hour they don't find what done that, the worse it's gonna get."

"_Who_ did it, Pete. Not what."


	5. Chapter 4

**Note: **The usual. I'm making up a lot of pred culture. Please point out spelling errors and typos.  
><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> All characters mentioned are my OC's. I do not own the Predator or Alien franchises, including the Yautja language.  
><strong>Words:<strong>  
>Ki'cte ~ enough<p>

* * *

><p>Dad's text had been sharp, even in word form. <em>Come home now. Emergency.<em> Whether she was in trouble or not, it was best to do as she was told.

It was early in the morning, around 4am. The orange street lights of the visitor car park were a comfort. Sarah always took a shortcut through the car park, across the deserted road and over into the main camp entrance. It was only a ten minute walk but it might take her a little longer in heels.

Two spiders chased each other over a large sign that declared _cars are not to be parked and left_. No one ever listened to the sign. She stood for a minute and watched the spiders rush over the sign. Then she remembered her dad's text. _Emergency._

Stepping up a small hill onto the footpath, Sarah looked for the guard who stood at the main gate beside a huge neon red sign that usually welcomed visitors and declared the time and speed limit. Tonight it read _authorised personnel only. Civilians to stay indoors on arrival._

Sarah could not see anyone stood at the guard box, and the barriers were closed. She could easily step under them, but she suddenly felt very unnerved. Something was wrong, and she didn't like the idea of walking through the camp on her own now.

Whipping out her phone, she turned around and moved under the street light as she called her dad. The phone rang and he picked up. Sarah felt the wind blow past her, rustling bushes opposite her. She could hear voices far off – the entrance to the non-civilian side of the camp was locked off completely as it was every night, but the radio had been left on in there.

"Dad, can you pick me up from the outside car park? I don't really want to have to walk in."

"I can pick you up from the barriers" he said. Sarah thanked him and hung up, crossing her arms as another gust of wind hit her.

The bushes moved after the wind had died down, and Sarah wondered if there was a cat in there. They usually hung around the roads this time of night and got knocked down by some idiot speeding along thinking no one was around.

She tried to coax it out, hoping it was wearing a collar. She'd take it in the car with her and drop it off at the owner's house. The bush moved again and she heard a heavy thud.

Sarah knew better than to investigate things she did not like, and so stayed put, hoping her dad would hurry up and get to the gates. The car park was deserted and felt eerie, but there was little light by the gate and she felt safer here for now. She braced herself against the wind, and saw the bushes move again, continuing to move when the wind stopped.

Betraying a whimper, she glanced again over at the gate. Not seeing her dad, but noticing less bushes over by the barrier, she wondered if she should walk over now – she'd have to when he got there anyway. She looked back around, still thinking, when something large and black suddenly blocked her view.

She screamed and felt something sharp grab her legs as she was dragged down onto the floor, hitting her head hard. Screeches filled her ears as she clawed at the pavement. She was pulled over to the non-civilian side of camp and flung over the fence. Several black figures hissed at her, but one made a louder shriek, as if protecting the girl. She was dragged by one arm roughly along the grass, crying and shouting but moving so fast that by the time she saw the light of her dad's car pulling up at the gate, she was too far away for him to hear.

When her dad didn't see Sarah standing anywhere near the gate, he attempted to ring her, and went cold when he saw a small light flashing on the ground over in the visitor's car park – his daughter's phone lying cracked on the floor, its owner nowhere to be seen.

* * *

><p>It was getting close to sunrise now. The hunters had gathered, Than-guan taking up the task of finding food. When she arrived at the small cave-like enclave within the woods carrying a whole cow, the two males were extremely pleased. The meat from these animals was not healthy for a Yautja as part of a long-term diet, but it an enjoyable treat whilst exerting oneself on a hunt.<p>

They shared recounts of their kills, each with at least two skulls. They had each hung one warning corpse, but left the other where they lay. The humans were clearly in a panic now, and the hunters would rest for some hours and resume their hunt in the early earthen evening when the air was at its hottest. Until then, they would eat and rest.

Than-guan was well aware that her body was shocked from the hunt. The tension and action was all fresh to her body after spending so many moons raising her son. She enjoyed sitting down for a few hours and eating the raw bovine meat.

Every now and then, they would check the compound. Interceptions of their communications showed that by sunrise they'd found all six bodies, but seemed to be searching for the culprit only within the area. The three predators were for now to remain undisturbed in the woods.

"You haven't eaten much." Tetj'de said aloud to al'Nagara. The older male was sat on a large rock watching the compound.

"I have eaten enough." He snorted.

Than-guan could sense a tension between the two males, likely exacerbated by her presence. Both were young males and al'Nagara perhaps felt his position with her threatened. If Tetj'de showed himself to be a better hunter, Than-guan would be far more likely to choose him as a mate during her next season.

But, part of being a good hunter was controlling one's mind. If you got too frustrated when hunting prey, you could make simple mistakes.

Tetj'de was not oblivious to this tension – he had only three pups so far and was eager to sire as many as possible to prove his virility. He made sure his trophies were on full show and had established repeatedly his wish to collect more.

Than-guan's thoughts were far from mating. She would not have another child for years, and all she cared about was hunting and caring for her son.

"They are considering searching this area. They have noticed other missing humans" Al'Nagara suddenly said aloud, his mask tapping into phone lines. "We should move as soon as they do."

"Have they not found all of the bodies yet?" Than-guan asked.

"They are looking for an adolescent female."

The tension in the air turned. Than-guan glared at the two men from behind her mask.

"I did not kill a young female."

"Neither did I. If I had, it would have been armed and a serious threat." Al'Nagara said.

"Anything is a threat to you. If one shouted you would probably kill it out of fear." Tetj'de snarled.

"Speak in that accusing manner again and I will slit your throat. I have not yet heard you deny the killing. Do you fear the repercussions of lying? I understand your mother likes to slap her children's heads in the mess hall. Will she do that to you as well?"

Tetj'de snorted angrily and squared up to the other male, but Than-Guan stepped between them, literally forcing her body in front of each male.

"None of us carry the skulls of a young Ooman. These creatures are opportunistic. The panic of our kills would distract many, one may have stolen himself a female."

"For what purpose? It is adolescent." Tetj'de asked naively.

"They rape their females before they can reproduce. Oomans are disgusting." Al'Nagara retorted. "Then so are plenty of Yautja." He added, looking the younger male up and down.

"_Ki'cte_" Than-guan spoke softly, forcing the younger to ignore the insult and stand down. Both wondered if they had lost favour with the female.

"We move as soon as they do." Al'Nagara repeated his earlier command. Silent agreement followed from the other two, the air now thick with a musk of aggression produced by the two males.


	6. Chapter 5

**Note:** Finally some more Yautja centric stuff! Making up a tonne of pregnancy/birth/culture stuff here. May not be to everyone's tastes. Otherwise, on with the show.  
><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>All characters mentioned are my OC's. I do not own the Predator or Alien franchises.

Al'Nagara had not needed to be told whose roar was echoing down the corridor. He recognised the pitch and pained words that followed, and knew it was Than-guan. This was his fifth child, but the first in which he was allowed by the mother to watch the birth. Most young females were extremely hormonal during their first pregnancy and birth, and developed a temporary bitterness towards the male. Some were even afraid of being seen in such a situation. Birth was not flattering.

The young male was already on the medical deck by chance, and rushed to the first-birth suite. The first time a Yautja female gave birth, her body was extremely stressed and sore. If the situation allowed, she would give birth in a hot tank of water to ease the process, meaning she could heal quicker and prepare for her next unaided birth.

By the time he'd arrived, the female was already submerged. The water held a greenish tint as blood seeped from between her legs. Small drippings dotted the floor from where she'd been helped in, and now she laid back, chest heaving, mandibles spread out. Her large stomach was forced under the water where the heat would soften and relax her muscles and stop the child from panicking.

The birth itself would come very soon after the initial breaking of waters. As soon as the body recognised that there was no protective bubble of water around the baby, it wanted to get the child out as soon as possible.

Al'Nagara walked to the side of the tank. He was already a father but knew nothing of what to expect from an actual birth. Than-guan eyed him up and down, her high brow shining with sweat. She growled as contractions came in waves, but made no effort to dismiss her mate.

Although many clans had different social structures, theirs ran like quite a few, on a sort of half-monogamy. In the time between being a young blood and a fully blooded warrior, males were encouraged to spread their seed as much as possible, and some mated with up to three or four females per season. This was because they were more likely to die on a hunt, and so needed that insurance left behind. They could die at any time, and did not have time to waste with one female.

After becoming a blooded warrior, Yautja could choose one mate to sire pups with. This would result in less mating – the most children a female would have would be one every six to ten years.

Both could choose to end the partnership if a male felt he wanted to mate more, but his previous mate would not accept him back into her quarters unless she felt there were no other strong males worthy enough of siring her pups.

Because they were less likely to die due to increasing strength and experience, older blooded males could afford this luxury which encouraged emotional attachments. Often males would go years without mating simply because they were too busy hunting, training their existing children and, presumably, loving their partner.

Emotional attachments were not often spoken of between Yautja, but they did exist. If mates stayed together long enough and learned to compromise around each other, they would over the years develop a strong bond that one might call love.

The birth was over quickly. Than-guan had roared and screamed her way through the process, eyes watering but never crying. She had glanced over at her mate several times, a genuine and unnerving look of despair in her eyes. The water went thick and green with blood, but soon the child was fished out and washed, as was the spent mother. Al'Nagara had not expected the process to fill a female's face with such horror and pain.

Helped into a bed, the new mother held her son, wiping his large forehead. His first attempt to cry was more of a gargle, and suddenly all of her pained sadness seeped away. Even as she continued to bleed onto the bed (something that did not seem to worry the doctors) all she wanted to do was watch the tiny pale bundle wriggle and writhe in her arms. It was no secret that she would be disappointed that her first born was a son, as females preferred daughters, but did not dislike sons. She would still care for him.

She purred at the sight of her son, and did not protest when al'Nagara approached and looked down at his son. His other children had all been presented to him some weeks after birth, clean and used to the world. This bundle was fresh, soft and uncomfortable to look at, but was still his son. He looked forward to watching it grow up.

Al'Nagara wondered this with every female he had mated with – when the time came that he was considered a blooded warrior, would Than-guan be the female he pursued an exclusive partnership with? She seemed fond of him compared to the behaviour of the other women.

Some of them had seemed to dislike him, making comments that in ten years he had only impregnated five females. There were four times a year when females went into heat, which meant there were at least 35 occasions where he had either failed to find a partner or failed to plant fertile seed within one. However, by the time Than-guan was healed from her birth, he would have already fathered three more pups.

Looking down at Than-guan now, he hoped that perhaps she would soften with age and stand out even more among potential mates as someone he could tolerate and even enjoy a life with.

Gloria could feel sweat forming on her forehead as she eased herself into the bathtub, letting out a groan beyond her years.

Andrew had come home shaken, saying there had been losses within the ranks. He didn't elaborate, but encouraged the stressing and weak Gloria to take a bath while he went for a nap. They'd both lost track of time, but she now realised it was five pm, Saturday. Andrew had come home around six am and had yet to rest, and so it seemed he was just going to get an early night rather than a quick nap.

Even the hot water lapping her sore body could not fully relax the woman. Andrew was never a good liar and he was clearly unnerved. Murder was horrible, but he'd dealt with this before. A fair few years ago, before they were married, a friend of his had been knifed at a club in Ireland. She knew her husband, and knew there was something deeper.

Of course, it would just be her paranoid nature. She was as aware of this as everyone else, but when she went into a fit she was gone, and would worry for hours. It wasn't helping her or the baby.

It scared her to think she'd be giving birth to this child in around a month. She'd grown attached to the changes in her body, and the thought of squeezing a baby (and other unmentionable things) out of her body was not something she wholly looked forward to. She knew it'd be worth it in the end though, and that was what kept her going, even on days when she felt she couldn't get out of bed to use the toilet.

Gloria closed her eyes and tipped back into the hot water, feeling a gentle movement in her belly. She rubbed her hand over, feeling a kick, and smiled. She hoped Andrew was back to normal by the time of the baby's birth. She was looking forward to seeing Andrew hold their child for the first time. She couldn't wait to see his face, see him cry with joy and tell her how beautiful their baby was.

That would make everything worth it. They'd become a real family.


	7. Chapter 6

**Note:** This may be the last chapter for a few weeks. I have exams coming up, but as soon as all that calms down I'll get onto the next few chapters.

**Words:  
><strong>Kainde Amedha ~ hard meat/Xenomorph  
>Mo ~ no<br>C'jit ~ Shit  
><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>All characters mentioned are my OC's. I do not own the Predator or Alien franchises.

* * *

><p>Tetj'de scanned the surroundings, feeling a bit more comfortable as the temperature changed. The day had been hot and dry, but as evening came humidity descended on the land and brought relief to the three hunters.<p>

The Oomans had yet to search in the forest, but were frantic behind the scenes. Being an unseen, unknown killer gave the young hunter a thrill.

He slowly moved his head from left to right, checking the area as he was tasked to. Each Yautja took it in turns to keep an eye out.

To his left, he saw something move, but saw no heat signal. He quickly switched between different sight modes and caught a glimpse of something green before it disappeared behind a solid matter.

"Than-guan" he said aloud, startling the dozing hunter. She was glad he'd woken her. She did not like to daydream on a hunt. "Come, stand over there. Do you see anything?" he motioned in the direction of the solid matter – a boulder – that the figure had hidden behind.

"_Mo_, why?"

"I saw _Kainde Amedha_."

"Impossible, this area hadn't been seeded, _ever_."

"Just look."

Than-guan scanned the area with the correct vision setting. She could see nothing for a few minutes, and Tetj'de began to feel foolish, but movement startled them both. Suddenly, vegetation moved, and Than-guan caught a glimpse of it.

"_C'jit_." She hissed. "Cover my back." She clicked to the young male, who nodded and followed as she left the perimeter of their camp and moved towards the boulder.

Suddenly, with a piercing screech, a hard-meat leapt from its cover, tail curling and whipping with its own weight. Than-guan was ready and quickly blasted it back with her _sivk'va-tai,_ the creature splattering back, fizzing on the ground. Luckily, not a drop of acidic blood hit the huntress and she stood over her kill.

"_Kainde Amedha_? They're not supposed to be here." Al'Nagara muttered as he came to stand beside her.

"Alert the ship that we're dealing with a possible infestation." Than-guan snapped to Tetj'de.

"Won't we want a pick up? They'll send a veteran or elder down to clear this, we'd just get in the way."

"They can send whoever they want down," Than-guan snarled "but we do as much as we can until we are ordered to stand down. We do not run from a few hard-meats."

The two males nodded in silence. Tetj'de tapped numerous buttons on the computer of his wrist blade, and soon a response was projected into his mask. It was shared between the three, and told them to measure the infestations and prevent its spread until an elder arrived.

"If we do well here, we might be considered blooded." Tetj'de said hopefully. Than-guan gave him a sharp whack behind the head.

"We eliminate our prey without caring out the social implications or rewards. Kill them because they need to be killed."

* * *

><p>Michael was frantic as he stood over the flat, featureless field. CCTV cameras had seen Sarah being dragged over a fence into this field, but there was no sign she was here. The short, dry grass didn't look disturbed.<p>

But she had to be out here somewhere. She'd been taken, she couldn't have just _disappeared_. Even if, God forbid, she was dead, her body had to be somewhere.

No one knew what the creature in the video was. It looked human, but pure black with indistinguishable features. Michael was sure he'd seen a tail.

It was nine pm now. She'd been missing for almost twelve hours, and her mother was at home in shreds. He had to find his daughter. He'd never forgive himself if he didn't. But where was he to look? It was all open here.

His eyes glanced over to the several large hangers to his right. They were a fair bit away, but were the only place you could hide a body out here. Reluctantly (out of an expectation to find only his daughter's body) he signalled to the others out searching with him, before stomping across the field towards the large structures.


End file.
